17th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Xavier Poncelet Wins the Roma Alps Letas Open
July 17th, 2021 – Rome, Italy. After being leader and joint leader on the first two days, Xavier Poncelet maintained his focussed, solid game for a third straight day to win the Roma Alps Letas Open with a final round of 68 (-4) for a total of -17 (199).
This was the first win for the French player since the Mirabelle d’Or in 2012 and the first time he has headed the leader board over three days :
«Since 2012 I’ve had a lot of second and third places, lost a play-off but today was the day and I’m really happy. I played really well with just one bogey on the front nine after a flyer from the rough. Then on the 16th there was a lot of wind. I hit a good shot and was really surprised when it landed in the water and I did double-bogey. I looked at the leader board on the seventeenth tee and saw that I was level leader. I did a good drive and made birdie then on the eighteenth the wind made things really tough but a good drive and an eight iron to the middle of the green and par ».
It was a fantastic finale here at the Golf Club Parco dei Medici with a battle right down to the line between the top five players. At one stage a play-off loomed as Scotsman Ryan Lumsden came into the clubhouse two flights ahead of Poncelet with -16 (200). Poncelet’s double-bogey had them level :
« There are still some very good players out there. Xavier has the 17th to play and a birdie possibility. Alessia too who is a fantastic player. There are lots of possible outcomes but I played really well today so regardless of the outcome I can’t be upset » .
As Lumsden forecast, Poncelet birdied the 17th then parred the 18th to leave the Scotsman as runner-up.
A trio of players shared third place with -15 (201). Alessia Nobilio was the top LETAS player, top Italian player and top amateur player today. Quite a result for the nineteen year-old player who carded 5 birdies and just one bogey today.
« I came here just hoping to make the cut so it’s amazing to be in the top three. I’ve only played four professional tournaments so far and this is my best result. Everything was perfect these last three days and I really enjoyed playing with the guys as I learnt a lot from them.»
She is joined by Gary Hurley from Ireland who had nine birdies today and two bogeys. Alongside him is the French player, Paul Elissade who shot an eagle, five birdies and a bogey.
The top Alps Tour amateur was Paul Margolis on -14 (202) who had an error-free 63 (-9) today to equal the best score of the tournament. This put him in joint sixth place with compatriot Sebastien Gandon and yesterday’s joint leader, Gonzalo Vicente Elena.
Ryan Lumsden moves to second place on the Order of Merit behind Angel Hidalgo Portillo and followed by Jacopo Vecchi Fossa in third.
A great end to the second mixed Open in the Alps Tour history and, once again, resoundingly positive feedback from the players. A breather of four weeks before the next stop of the Alps Tour at the Gosser Open in Austria from 19th-21st August.
Final Results: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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16th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Joint Leaders in Rome Going into the Final – Poncelet & Vicente Elena
July 16th, 2021 – Rome, Italy. Yesterday’s leader, Xavier Poncelet kept his first place but is now sharing it with Gonzalo Vicente Elena from Spain with both players on -13 (131) at the Roma Alps Letas Open.
Gonzalo Vicente Elena entered the clubhouse as leader after the morning rounds and his 63 (-9), the lowest score of the tournament so far. The 2019 Fred Olsen Alps de la Gomera victor particularly appreciates the Parco dei Medici course :
« It’s a tricky course but I really like it. Above all it’s a fun course to play and you can really enjoy your game with many different situations and dfferent club choices to make. It’s amazing. The greens are not particularly fast but they have a good roll. I think it’s hard to three putt on them. The conditions are just perfect ».
With 2 eagles, 7 birdies and a brace of bogeys on his card, he stayed very focussed:
« I started like yesterday with a bogey and so I said ‘hey, you start with a bogey now come on with the birdies’. Hole two I hit a great shot from 200 metres to put it within a metre of the hole for eagle and I started to relax. I didn’t think about the cut but just focussed on my game and played very solidly. My putting was amazing, with great rolls on the greens. Another eagle on the fifth and more birdies. Just one more bogey on the 13th where my drive went a bit left into the bunker and with very little sand it was impossible to par ».
Yesterday’s leader, Xavier Poncelet, started well with a front nine of 34 (-3) putting him at -11 and just two strokes behind the leader :
« I played the fron nine really well and then on the 10th I had a bogey when I caught the rough and I missed the green on the 11th which is a tricky par 3 for another bogey. But after that I continued to play well with four birdies on the back nine focussing on my game and playing as I have all week ».
In joint third place on -11 (133) are the two LETAS amateur players Alessia Nobilio from Italy and the Swiss Anouk Casty, who both carded 65 (-7) today. Nobilio had an error-free round for a total of seven birdies whilst Casty also had seven birdies with her two bogeys being neutralised by an eagle.
The cut came at -2 (142) with 62 players teeing off tomorrow for the final round, 46 pros and 16 amateurs. A quarter of the finalists are ladies from the LETAS of whom 6 are amateurs.
The flights start out at 8:00 am tomorrow from the first and tenth and there will even be some sibling competiton with Leonor and Tomas Bessa from Portugal playing together.
It should be a closely fought final as there are twelve players within 5 strokes of the leaders.
Results Round 2: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
15th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Xavier Poncelet Leads in Rome
July 15th, 2021 – Rome, Italy. With a -8 (64) Xavier Poncelet entered the clubhouse at the top of the leader board after his morning round and at end of play, he had not been dethroned. The Frenchman carded a total of 9 birdies and just one bogey in the Roma Alps Letas Open here at the Golf Club Parco dei Medici.
« It was a really great round. The front nine . I played really well all the day. On the front nine there was less wind at the beginning so it was easier to manage the distance so I got a lot of opportunities. My putting was good. Then on the back nine the wind picked up but I only missed two greens today. I managed my game well and when I missed I made a chip putt. The greens were soft and slow so I could be more aggressive ».
It was his first time playing the course and he was full of praise for the greenkeepers’ work preparing the course which he described as a « great design ».
Two shots behind on -6 (66) are three players. The Cross of Saint Andrew flag is being proudly brandished by two Scottish players. The lowest score among the LETAS players went to Gabrielle Macdonald who started with a double bogey but did not let it faze her :
« I was annoyed with myself as I hit the fairway but pulled my eight iron into the bunker, thinned it out and missed my putt, so short game errors. But, I’d seen people in the morning who had a bad start and knew that there was time to come back, so I just tried to forget about it. I made a couple of good pars and then a hole-in-one on the 13th and after that I just couldn’t stop smiling. My first ever hole-in-one so quite a special moment for me ».
Macdonald finished her round with six birdies and not a bogey in sight. She is shoulder to shoulder with her compatriot Ryan Lumsden, winner of last week’s Alps de la Castillas, his second victory this season, after the MIRA Golf Experience Acaya Open in March. Lumsden has made no secret of his quest for a third title and with eight birdies and two bogeys he looks on form. Right alongside them is Sigot Lopez from Spain, whose eagle on the par five 17th lifted him up a slot after 6 birdies and two bogeys.
Eight players are right behind on –5 (67) including the highest placed amateur today, Paul Margolis from France. They are closely followed by a group of eleven players just one stroke behind on -4 (68) including the next four LETAS players. The Australian player, Kristalle Blum had briefly held the lead at the end of her morning round. She is joined by the two top lady amateurs, Anouk Casty from Switzerland and the Italian, Alessia Nobilio.
Play resumes tomorrow at 7:30 am from tees one and ten with the cut coming at the end of the thirty-six holes and 45 players and ties qualifying for the final on Saturday.
Results Round 1: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
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11th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Return to Rome for a Mixed Open
July 11th, 2021 – Rome, Italy. The Golf Club Parco dei Medici welcomes the Alps Tour players back for the Roma Alps Open. After hosting the Qualifying School First Round in 2020, this time the course will also welcome players from the LET Access Series (LETAS), the official development tour to the Ladies European Tour. This will be the second mixed tournament in the 20 years of the Alps Tour.
The Alps Tour created golf history in 2019 when it organised the first, official mixed gender professional golf tournament in Europe, the Saint Malo Golf Mixed Open. That tournament ended with a mixed Alps/LETAS podium, which could be a possible result here in Rome for the 10th event of the 2021 season.
Competition promises to be fierce. On the Alps Tour side, a total of nineteen players in the top twenty of the Order of Merit are present and eager for points. Third placed Ryan Lumsden, winner of the MIRA Golf Experience Acaya Open and flush from his second win last week at the Alps de las Castillas has made no secret of his wish to make it a three. He will have his work cut out for him though as this season’s other two-time winner, Angel Hidalgo Portillo from Spain will be intent on keeping his OofM first place. Not forgetting the number two, Jacopo Vecchi Fossa who would ike nothing more than a home win.
Of the 112 men players among the 13 amateurs are Paul Margolis and Tom Vaillant from France. The pair were on the French team that were runners-up in last week’s 2021 Men’s European Amateur Team Championship. Another excellent result for Margolis following his MIRA Live the Soul Open in March.
Over to the 44 LETAS players, where the Russian, Nina Pegova, has been showing consistent form with three top-10 finishes so far to put her top of their OofM. The winners of this season’s first three events are present. From England, Lily May Humphreys had her first LETAS win the same month she turned professional at the Golf Flanders LETAS Trophy in June. Among the 18 amateurs are Marine Griffaut from France who had a home win at the Montauban Ladies Open whilst Sara Kouskova, became the first ever Czech player to win a LETAS event, the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge, and the first Czech amateur to win a professional event.
The Parco dei Medici Championship Course is technically demanding with strategically placed bunkers and water hazards. Thus, to level the playing field and be fair to all the competitors, the course has been set-up to take into consideration the carry yardages off the tee and stroke distances of the different categories of players as well as the course architecture regarding the positioning of bunkers and hazards.
Each flight will be a mix of Alps Tour and LETAS players and based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback after the last mixed open, the players should enjoy their rounds amidst the pine, cypress and weeping willows trees in what promises to be hot and sunny conditions.
Entries: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
Stay tuned! www.wp-alpstour.ocs-sport.com and the app « Alps Tour Golf » (on App Store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android) will keep you updated on every news about Alps Tour.
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9th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Ryan Lumsden wins the Alps de las Castillas
The Scot Ryan Lumsden has prevailed over Manuel Elvira in an exciting final day of the Alps de las Castillas played at the Las Pinaíllas Golf Club, thus achieving his second victory of the season, and is now 3rd in the Alps Tour Ranking.
Lumsden arrived in Albacete with one goal: to win and climb the rankings to get closer to the Challenge Tour promotion. And he has achieved it, although the Cantabrian Manuel Elvira has not made it easy for him at any time. At one point it seemed that the Scot was going to repeat the history of last year’s Alps de las Castillas when he finished second, but the experience achieved last May at the PGA Tour’s AT&T Byron Nelson, where he played alongside the best golfers in the world, gave him the key to the victory he has achieved today in Albacete.
At Las Pinaíllas, Lumsden, 24, signed four birdies and a bogey for a 69 (-3) and a total of 14 under par. “It’s been an amazing tournament, three completely different days of play. The first day I played well but, as it has happened to me this year, it was not matched by the numbers on the scorecard. Yesterday’s round was the turning point I needed, I played well and carded a magnificent result that turned out to be the course record, and gave me hints that something good was going to come, and it has arrived today. It has been an incredible day, because Manuel (Elvira) has made it very difficult for me and has not let me breathe until the last hole.
The truth is that last year I really enjoyed coming to the Alps de las Castillas, I was remarkably close to winning and I have come back this year wanting to fight for the title, although I will recognize that, at some point, as Manuel played, I thought that history was repeating.
At the Northwestern University in the U.S. I won the Byron Nelson Award, an academic, athletic and social work award for which I was invited to play the AT&T Byron Nelson, and I was lucky enough to learn from the best players in the world. There I learned how important it is to have complete control of the irons, and that you should never lose sight of anything on the course. It was a great golf lesson that obviously helped me win this week. My goal now is to win a third tournament! I leave Spain with a lot of confidence, and hopefully keep my place in the ranking at the end of the year to get to the Challenge Tour.” With this victory Lumsden has climbed to 3rd place in the Alps Tour Order of Merit.
Manuel Elvira, 24, started the third round in 3rd position and finished 2nd after making a 69 (-3) with 6 birdies and 3 bogeys, for a total of 12 under par. “I’ve done everything I could to win, but Lumsden has played amazing. I started very well, although I was not making putts but on the 5th I sunk a great one that raised my spirit. On the 6th I hit a fat one and made bogey and started struggling, but from the 10th something clicked on my head and played brilliant. On the 15th I made a stupid three-putts and the last three holes I played very well. I’m very happy, I came this week without expectations after many weeks in a row on the Challenge Tour; I would have signed for a 2nd place before arriving here this week! I leave with a lot of confidence to follow my schedule on the Challenge Tour.” In 3rd place was Frenchman Romain Guillon, who finished with a 71 (-1) for a total 11 under par.
Angel Hidalgo Portillo, leader of the Order of Merit, did not have his best week in Albacete, but he managed to make the cut and, although he did not finish in the top positions, has maintained his lead in front of Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa.
The Alps de Las Castillas has been possible thanks to the union of the Federación de Golf de Castilla La Mancha and that of Castilla León, with the Real Federación Española de Golf. It has also had the support of the Las Pinaíllas Golf Club, the Albacete City Council, the Provincial Council of Albacete, the Junta de Castilla La Mancha, the Superior Council of Sports, Extrual, Allianz, AON, EDP Solar, Kyocera, Tag Heuer, as well as the collaboration of El Corte Inglés Albacete, Bodegas Ayuso, Panadería Alejo, Miguelitos Ruiz, NextCaddy. JGolf has been the organizing company of the Alps de Las Castillas, a tournament that supports the celebration of the Solheim Cup 2023.
Final round scores: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
8th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Course record 62 brings Lumsden on top
With a record second round in 62, 10 under par, Scotland’s Ryan Lumsden has climbed from yesterday’s T32 up to the top of the leaderboard and with a total of 133 (-11), has a one-stroke margin over France’s Romain Guillon (134, -10) and two strokes over Spaniard Manuel Elvira, third at 135 (-9) one round before the end of the Alps de Las Castillas, taking place at Club de Golf Las Pinaillas in Albacete (Spain).
“The game has been getting better lately”, said Lumsden, 24, winner in March of the opening tournament of the season in Italy, the Mira Golf Experience Acaya Open, and currently 9th in the Order of Merit having played just five out of the eight past tournaments in the calendar. “I have been struggling lately but now my game is feeling good. Everyone has been telling me that if I can keep believing, then good scores would come along, and I thought yes, it feels like one day I could find the switch, and it happened to be today, so it feels great! Not totally sure what was the key today, I got off to a good start obviously, I was really in control of my wedges – and I had really been struggling with them yesterday – so that really helped, I was also good from the tee, so overall I think my whole game was pretty solid. When you give yourself a lot of wedges from the fairways you can go quite low up here. The greens were also definitely a bit softer, and that actually made a big difference, because you can be a little more aggressive to the pin and go a couple of yards short instead of maybe 10 yards like we were doing yesterday”.
Today Lumsden carded a total of 12 birdies and two bogeys, perfectly shared on front and back nines. “I am absolutely looking for a second win this season, it’s been a bit of a struggle so far really, not so much with my game but with getting scores in. I’ve also played some tournaments on the Challenge Tour and again, my game was pretty solid, but I shoot bad scores, and here it is kind of a turnaround, I feel it is going to be the turning point for the season and I’m going to be able to kick on and play good scores from here on”.
The chase for a second success on the Alps Tour doesn’t look so smooth though, as many players are on the hunt and within just a couple of strokes. Frenchman Romain Guillon, 27, is keeping on his good form with two solid rounds (69-65, -10) and eyes a climbing from the 47th position on the Order of Merit; while Spain’s Manuel Elvira, 24, with two consistent rounds (68-67, -9) can also count on his recent experience on the Challenge Tour.
53 players made the cut on level par (144), and among them are the leader of the OoM Angel Hidalgo Portillo, T26 at -3, n. 2 Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, T17 at -5, and n.3 Pierre Pineau, 44th on level par.
The Alps de Las Castillas has a field of 130 players from 15 countries, gathered from July 7th-9th, thanks to the sponsorship of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Federation of Castilla La Mancha and the Federation of Castilla León, and the support of the Golf Club Las Pinaíllas, the City of Albacete, the Provincial Council of Albacete, the Junta de Castilla La Mancha, the Consejo Superior de Deportes, Extrual, Allianz, AON, EDP Solar, Kyocera, Tag Heuer, as well as with the collaboration of El Corte Inglés Albacete, Bodegas Ayuso, Panadería Alejo, Miguelitos Ruiz, NextCaddy. JGolf is the organizing company of the Alps de las Castillas, a tournament that supports the celebration of the Solheim Cup 2023.
Second round scores: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
7th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Londot Lopes and Van Veen share the lead in Spain
Portugal’s Vitor Londot Lopes and Netherland’s Vince Van Veen are tied at the top of the leaderboard on six under-par (66) after the first round of the Alps de Las Castillas.
Las Pinaillas Club de Golf in Albacete, a beautiful and challenging course designed by the great Seve Ballesteros some 150 km west of Valencia, plays host to the ninth Alps Tour event of the 2021 season and the two players showed the finest form on the first day, although they are closely followed by a list of strong contenders, with 39 players returning an under-par scorecard.
Vitor Londot Lopes, who will celebrate his 25th birthday in just ten days, was 2nd one month ago at the Open de La Mirabelle D’Or in France and is presently 10th in the Order of Merit. The Portuguese golfer from Vilamoura played a solid bogey-free round: “It was a good day on the course and I had the privilege to mark an eagle-3 on hole 11, and four birdies. Of course, we golfers are never fully satisfied and always want something more, and I feel I could have saved a couple more shots, but the conditions of the course were very good, with some tricky wind that could come from all directions. I stuck to my game plan, and I think I did it ok. Hopefully, I will keep on making the good decisions and hit good shots in the next two days” said Londot Lopes.
Alongside Londot Lopes at the top of the standings is Netherland’s Vince Van Veen, 25, who is playing in his third Alps Tour season and is currently n. 53 in the ranking. He carded 8 birdies and two bogeys to earn his share of the lead.
“It’s been a bit of an up-and-down round, I did not get off to a good start and I fought to find my way round this golf course, then after probably six-seven holes I settled my golf swing and started hitting better shots, and obviously some quite good putts went in for my 6-under” said the Dutch player who has a 9th spot as his best performance up to now. “I did find myself in this position in the past, actually it happened on the previous tournament we played in Italy, so now I’m getting more familiar with being on top of the leaderboard and I start feeling more confident. I like the course very much, it is challenging and although it’s not particularly long, the greens are demanding and sometimes if you are on the wrong side of the fairway you cannot hit it close to the flag. Basically, that is what I’ve been trying to do today, find the good spots on the course and I did it properly. I feel my game is improving and I like where I’m standing now”.
The Alps de Las Castillas can count on a field of 130 players from 15 countries, and on the sponsorship of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Federation of Castilla La Mancha and the Federation of Castilla León, and the support of the Golf Club Las Pinaíllas, the City of Albacete, the Provincial Council of Albacete, the Junta de Castilla La Mancha, the Consejo Superior de Deportes, Extrual, Allianz, AON, EDP Solar, Kyocera, Tag Heuer, as well as with the collaboration of El Corte Inglés Albacete, Bodegas Ayuso, Panadería Alejo, Miguelitos de la Roda, NextCaddy. JGolf is the organizing company of the Alps de las Castillas, a tournament that supports the celebration of the Solheim Cup 2023.
First round scores: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
4th July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
Spain to welcome 9th tournament of the 2021 Alps Tour Season
In just a few days, the battle to conquer the top spots on the Alps Tour Season Ranking will resume in Spain on a new venue for this Tour, at Club de Golf Las Pinaillas (Albacete) in the region of Castilla La Mancha, some 150 km west of Valencia. It is a crucial stop in the year of the 20th anniversary for the Alps Tour, which moved its first steps in 2001 and has been a fundamental training ground for a number of talented players, like Englishman Matt Wallace, one of the best players in the world, or Adri Arnaus, who will represent Spain at the Olympic games in Tokyo, or Spaniard Santi Tarrio – leader of the Challenge Tour OoM, and tenth of winners in the European Tour like Italian Guido Migliozzi and Frenchman Antoine Rozner, just to mention the most recent ones.
At Las Pinaillas, a demanding course designed by the great Seve Ballesteros, seven of the top ten players in the Order of Merit will be fighting to keep or improve their position, including leader Angel Hidalgo Portillo from Spain, winner in Egypt of Ein Bay Open in May and in June of Memorial Giorgio Bordoni by AON in Italy; a third win this season would grant him direct access to the 2022 Challenge Tour!
Italian Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, number 2 in the ranking and winner in April of Abruzzo Alps Open, is also in the field, as well as Frenchman Pierre Pineau, third, who has collected two 2nd spots but still has to grab his first win as a pro.
With six more tournaments in the 2021 schedule after Alps de Las Castillas, the Alps Tour members will have to focus on different goals: in addition to the top positions for a 2022 Challenge Tour cards, the top 50 in the Order of Merit who have played at least 6 tournaments in 3 different countries, will gain a full category for next season and avoid a return to the Qualifying School.
The official presentation of the Alps de Las Castillas has been hosted by the City Council of Albacete on June 30th. The tournament was presented by Emilio Sáez Cruz, mayor of Albacete, Santiago Cabañero, president of the Provincial Council; Carlos Gutiérrez, president of the Golf Federation of Castilla-La Mancha; Diego Martínez, representative of Las Pinaillas Golf Club; Javier Gervás, CEO of JGolf, promoter of the tournament; Vicente Casañ, deputy mayor of Albacete, and Modesto Belinchón, councilor for Sports, among other representatives of the Corporation.
An amazing summoning for a common goal, “raising golf stars”!
“To become Jon Rahm, recent winner of the US Open and number one in the world, you need to be talented, but also to be able to show your talent, and this type of tournaments are fundamental for this purpose“, stressed Emilio Sáez, who added: “I think about the dozens of golfers who have gained experience through this tour and, thanks to it, have been able to fulfil their dreams“.
The Alps de Las Castillas will be played by 136 players from 17 countries, from July 7th-9th, with 38 teams in the Pro-Am on the 6th, thanks to the sponsorship of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Federation of Castilla La Mancha and the Federation of Castilla León, and the support of the Golf Club Las Pinaíllas, the City of Albacete, the Provincial Council of Albacete, the Junta de Castilla La Mancha, the Consejo Superior de Deportes, Extrual, Allianz, AON, EDP Solar, Kyocera, Tag Heuer, as well as with the collaboration of El Corte Inglés Albacete, Bodegas Ayuso, Panadería Alejo, Miguelitos de la Roda, NextCaddy. JGolf is the organizing company of the Alps de las Castillas, a tournament that supports the celebration of the Solheim Cup 2023.
Entry list: click here or check on the Alps Tour Golf app.
3rd July 2021 | Alps Tour Golf
